ESL Illness & Symptoms Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This ESL illnesses & symptoms lesson plan provides activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for pre-intermediate A2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Discuss a variety of symptoms and illnesses, such as a cold and the flu
• Learn some vocabulary and phrases related to symptoms and being sick
• Watch a short commercial video about an over-the-counter medicine to help with a cold / the flu
• Study and use a variety of phrases in dialogues about being sick
• Engage in role plays and discussions about being sick and offering advice

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In the first part of this ESL lesson about illnesses and symptoms, students match symptoms like a runny nose or sore throat to images of people experiencing them. They then discuss their own experiences with sickness, including symptoms they have had and what they do to get relief from their symptoms.

Students also use some vocabulary and verbs / verb phrases related to treating cold and flu symptoms, such as:

• Make sure you get plenty of sleep to help your body recover.
• Try taking medicine to feel better faster.
• Drink lots of water or tea to stay hydrated.
• Talk with a doctor if you have questions or feel very sick.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

In the viewing activity, students watch a short commercial video featuring an over-the-counter medicine to help fight colds and the flu. The video shows a man coughing and showing other symptoms. In the activity, students categorize symptoms to either a cold and flu, as mentioned in the video. These include coughing, fever, chills, nausea, a runny nose, sore throat, etc. There is a part for students to complete some tips for treating a cold / the flu using a noun. In the last part, they complete a true/false exercise regarding colds, the flu, and the over-the-counter medication in the video. Students correct any false statements.

DISCUSSION & DIALOGUES

In the part after the video, students evaluate the effectiveness of the ad in the video and share their experiences with similar medications. They also discuss other common illnesses people experience. Finally, students read dialogues about managing sickness. They sort sentences/phrases from these dialogues into categories like describing symptoms, giving advice, or expressing sympathy.

FEELING SICK? GET THE HELP YOU NEED!

For task-based communicative activation, students choose a health issue, such as migraines, allergies and write notes about their symptoms and treatments. They then role-play a scenario where one student is a helpful friend and the other describes their health issue, using adjectives and adverbs to describe the intensity of their symptoms. Alternatively, students discuss various topics related to health issues and treatments.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS ESL ILLNESS & SYMPTOMS LESSON:

Vocabulary Improvement

Students improve their vocabulary related to health and illness. This enables them to better describe symptoms and understand health-related discussions.

Role-Playing and Conversational Skills

Role-playing scenarios where students give and receive advice about health issues helps develop their conversational skills. This enhances their practical language use.

Personal Health Reflection

The lesson prompts students to reflect on their own experiences with illness. This promotes self-awareness and better management of health-related discussions.

Describing Symptoms & Giving Advice

Students strengthen their ability to describe symptoms and provide relevant advice. This is useful for everyday conversations about health.